As Vice President and leader of the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management practice at Higher Digital, Kari Branjord helps higher education institutions make strategic, data-driven decisions that enhance student success and institutional growth. With more than 25 years of hands-on leadership experience, she is a trusted advisor in digital transformation, enterprise project management, and technology-driven institutional change​. 

Before joining Higher Digital, Branjord served as Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation at Ellucian, where she spent 13 years leading innovation initiatives and driving large-scale transformation across higher education​. Prior to that, she held leadership positions for 12 years at large public institutions and higher education systems across the U.S., where she led the creation of the first comprehensive suite of self-service capabilities to empower students, implemented and managed PeopleSoft and Oracle applications, and collaborated with executive teams to drive digital transformation (even before that term was coined). 

She also held leadership positions in the Higher Education User Group (HEUG) as board member and president and was recognized as Oracle Magazine’s Implementer of the Year for her contributions to institutional efficiency and student success​. She has won multiple awards for developing innovative solutions that enhance the student experience and operational effectiveness. 

Kari is currently pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Cambridge, gaining firsthand experience as a non-traditional, primarily remote learner. This perspective deepens her understanding of modern student experiences and informs her approach to digital transformation in higher education​.